Notre Dame's Strength of Schedule Takes Hit in Week 3

North Carolina and SMU both lost ACC games each needed on Saturday

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman looks on before a NCAA football game against Michigan State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

We should have been assuming it already, but well before No. 3 Notre Dame hosted Michigan State in South Bend, a pair of ACC games that impacted the Fighting Irish took place.

And neither went the way Notre Dame hoped they would have.

North Carolina Stumbles in Second Half at Clemson

Despite jumping out to a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, North Carolina couldn't do much of anything in the second half.

Sure, a weather delay probably didn't help any of the game flow, but the Tar Heels offense was non-existant after halftime.

Final. @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/XARU5Txpli

— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) September 19, 2026

Clemson outscored North Carolina 25-3 after the midway point of the second quarter, including 13-3 in the fourth quarter, to win 28-20.

It went from looking like North Carolina could be in contention to host College GameDay when Notre Dame travels there the first Saturday of October, to that game possibly instead being on ACC Network.

North Carolina falls to 2-1 on the year, with four ranked teams still to come on the schedule.

SMU Taken Down at Louisville

One of the lowkey tougher games on Notre Dame's schedule comes on senior day in late November when SMU comes to South Bend.

SMU snuck by Florida State in Week 1, on a weird night that featured a power outage and a variety of oddities.

Final.@DriveSewell pic.twitter.com/el1i9XDl9u

— SMU Football (@SMUFB) September 19, 2026

It wasn't able to sneak out of Louisville with a victory, as the Mustangs couldn't slow down the Cardinals all day.

The run game was especially troubling for the SMU defense, as it allowed 265 yards on the ground and an absurd 7.7 yards per carry.

SMU falls to 2-1 on the season, and no longer controls its own destiny in regards to making the ACC Championship game after dropping an early conference game.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

Notre Dame shouldn't be counting on what everyone else on its schedule does on a weekly basis.

I don't think it is, but it simply has to take care of things on its own.

The North Carolina and SMU losses were disappointing when it comes to strength of schedule, but if you take care of business and go 12-0 this regular season, that won't matter.

Notre Dame didn't get any help from a couple of ACC teams that could boost its resume by season's end, but if the Fighting Irish can continue to take care of its own business, that won't matter in regards to making the CFP, or the seeding that comes along with it.